Davy Russell pictured with his family after announcing his retirement at Thurles© Photo Healy Racing
Following hot on the heels of the Ronan McNally case the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) issued two more Referral Committee Hearing results last week. Trainer Lee Smyth had his licence withdrawn for three months and fellow trainer Gearoid Brouder had his licence taken away for twelve months, with the last six months suspended.
As usual with these Referral Hearing reports we are only given scant details of the evidence presented by both sides and are left somewhat guessing as to what really went on.
In the case of Smyth we are told that he, or someone associated with him, doctored the passports of two of his horses to fool the authorities into thinking that these horses had been administered the Equine Influenza Vaccination when in fact they hadn’t.
This alleged fraudulent activity could have had far-reaching consequences for the entire industry if these horses had contracted the virus and spread it to other horses at racecourses or at Sales. The Referral Committee found Smyth “has acted in a manner likely to cause serious damage to the interests of horse racing in Ireland.”
Taking into account the gravity of the offence and the lengths that must have been taken to forge the stamps and signature of a Veterinary Surgeon, I’m a little surprised that the sanction was a fine and a mere three month suspension of the trainer’s licence.
The case against Brouder was altogether different in that his offence seems relatively minor by comparison to Smyth’s, but he was handed down a much stiffer sentence. I can only presume there is more to the Brouder case than was included in the IHRB media release.
We are told Brouder was training his horses in a licensed yard, requested information and forms from the IHRB in relation to a change of yard, but never completed those forms and went ahead and moved his horses to a new yard which was categorised as unlicensed.
A yard is automatically categorised as unlicensed if the IHRB has not yet visited it to ensure the facilities are up to scratch for racehorses. Unlicensed does not necessarily mean unsuitable.
At the bottom of the road I live on, at the edge of the Curragh, there are 20 boxes in a horseshoe shape with a fence running down the middle. 10 boxes belong to one property and 10 to the property next store. The 10 boxes on the left are licensed and have a trainer renting the yard. The 10 boxes on the right belong to a family that keeps a couple of ponies and these boxes would be categorised as unlicensed even though they are the same as the other ones.
It is obviously important that the IHRB know at all times where every racehorse is housed so they can inspect them as and when the need arises, but there doesn’t seem to be any suspicion that Brouder was hiding his horses from the IHRB. His offence appears to be an administrative cock-up rather than any cunning plan to deceive the authorities.
Lee Smyth was found to have acted in a manner “likely to cause serious damage to the interests of horse racing in Ireland” and received a three month suspension. Gearoid Brouder acted in a manner “likely to cause damage to the interests of horse racing in Ireland” and will serve twice as long a suspension.
This recent spate of Referral Hearings into the activities of trainers has been confined to small trainers and the usual accusations are getting bandied about - that the IHRB never go after the big boys and instead opt for the easier targets. Perhaps the real problem is that these small, often family run or part-time operations, struggle to keep on top of all the rules and regulations and need more support and education rather than simply sanctions.
When jockeys break the rules governing the use of the whip they are occasionally sent to RACE for a refresher course in how to use it properly. Something similar with these small trainers might work better than automatically withdrawing their licences for a period before letting them loose again.
Almost every time the IHRB does stable visits they find problems with the medicines cabinet or the medical register. A short course on how to manage this aspect of the business would certainly be beneficial for all trainers.
On a slightly different note, there was an interesting segment on the Nick Luck Daily podcast last week when John Fitzgerald, CEO of the Small Trainers’ Association, recounted how he had been asked by Ronan McNally to accompany him to a ‘running and riding enquiry’ at the races, but was not permitted to enter the stewards’ room with the trainer.
As journalist Lydia Hislop pointed out on the show the evidence given at these raceday enquiries is often revisited at subsequent Referral Hearings by barristers and other legal representatives. So there is certainly a case for saying that anyone brought in by the stewards at a race meeting for a potentially serious charge should be very careful about the evidence they give and probably would be better off waiting until they are legally represented before saying anything.
Whatever about a savvy trainer like Ronan McNally having to go into an enquiry unaccompanied, but jockeys over the age of 18 often find themselves in the same position.
Finally, the very best of luck to Davy Russell on his retirement from the saddle. It’s great to see him bow out on his own terms after such an amazing career in the saddle. I personally thought he was making a big mistake coming back after suffering serious neck and spinal injuries, but he certainly proved me wrong, riding as well as ever since his return. And it was also so Russell-like for him to stop when least expected, at a relatively minor meeting mid-season.
